Could Not Make it to Burning Man this Year? At Least See the Drone Show

As reported in Mother Nature Network (“MMN”), an autonomous flying swarm of 300 illuminated drones took to the evening sky above Burning Man last week, to a crowd of more than 70,000 people. Set to live music by Dutch composer and pianist Joep Beving, the piece, dubbed “Franchise Freedom,” was based off the patterns of starlings.

“Franchise Freedom is inspired by the spectacle of starlings clustering together in massive swarms flying through the sky in thousands,” Studio Drift commented on their website “They create breathtaking aerial displays that are seemingly rehearsed, but are in fact natural cohesions of movement and flight. Each maneuver is completely integrated, and no bird works alone. When swarming they are powerful and dominate the sky.”

The drone display at Burning Man 2018 was inspired by the flight patterns of starlings. (Photo: Ruprecht Studios via Vimeo)

Since “I, Robot” was the theme at this year’s Burning Man, the addition of hundreds of drones lighting up the night sky was a fitting addition to the show.

Burning Man is an annual event hosted in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, United States and is described as mass experience in community, art, self-expression and self-reliance.